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My topsy turvy world of food and travel, where I toss in a good amount of childhood tales and try my hand at writing fiction. I believe in magic, a li'l bit of madness and a whole lot of thunderstorms!

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Malai Paneer (Cottage Cheese in Cream Sauce)

I just
love paneer. Period. I don’t care how it is cooked or presented. Quite an
abomination for someone who is known for her non-vegetarian cravings! My husband,
on the other hand, runs a mile away from it. His excuse is, since he was in
Delhi for two years he just got over-fed or fed-up with paneer. He says he doesn’t
remember any dish where paneer is not added!

At home
in Guwahati, I remember my mom making paneer since we did not get it in shops
for a long time. She would curdle the milk and tie it up in muslin cloth,
keeping a heavy grinding stone on the top. The resultant paneer would be silky
soft and so flavourful. When I moved to Mumbai, I stayed in a hostel where we
were not served paneer owing to its high cost. That was when I discovered the
joy of having it ‘raw’ with tomato sauce! I would buy some paneer from Punjab
& Sind (the best!) and run to my room upstairs to taste my loot. I would
either crumble the meltingly soft paneer or cut into thick strips before
dipping them into tomato sauce. One slab of 150 gms paneer would last me a
happy afternoon and many pages of a book. Yes, I have the habit of eating and
reading, that is how I enjoy both to the optimum.

I
guess the quality of paneer that I had in Mumbai and Delhi spoilt me for life. The
paneer that we get here in Bangalore just do not measure up to the standards of
the touch-and-it-will-crumble paneer of Mumbai and Delhi. I have tried out many
brands but they are either very bland or hard or both. I have now taken to
frying the paneer cubes with a little turmeric and salt instead of just adding
them plain to gravies.

Today’s
recipe belongs to J, a dear ex-colleague of mine, a sardarni from Amritsar. We had
met up for her birthday treat a few days back and while waiting for the
starters, traded recipes much to the chagrin of our male friends. The recipe
sounded so simple and delicious that I decided to make it during the weekend. I
had invited my sister and her husband (and their baby) for dinner and since
both of them were fond of paneer, I felt it was the right time to launch this
new recipe I had learnt! So here goes…

Malai Paneer

Ingredients:

250 gm
paneer – cut into cubes

5
cloves of garlic - minced

½ spoon
each of turmeric and coriander powder

½ cup
tomato puree

¾ cup
fresh cream

½ cup
water

2
tablespoon Refined oil

Salt to
taste

Grind together:

2
large onions

2
green chillies

1 inch
ginger

Method:

Lightly
fry the paneer cubes, sprinkling just a pinch of turmeric and salt over them. You
can choose not to fry the paneer. I did because of the blandness of stuff we
get here. Keep them aside.

Now, put
some more oil in the kadai, if required, and sauté the minced garlic. Let the
oil be infused with the flavor of the garlic. After the garlic turns golden,
tip in the ground mixture of onions, ginger and chillies.

Now here
is the thing, my friend had asked me to grind 4 ripe tomatoes with the onions. But
I did not have tomatoes at home! Instead, I had tomato puree (Sacrilege! She would
have screamed), and I decided to use that. You can go ahead and add tomatoes
rather than the puree.

Anyways,
back to our steaming kadai. Continue frying the onion mixture till it loses its
‘rawness’ and becomes brown. Add the spice powders – turmeric and coriander. You
can also add garam masala, if you wish. I am not much of a spice person and
generally keep the intake to a minimum. Now, add the tomato puree and keep
stirring in low heat till the puree becomes half its original quantity.

After that,
put half a cup of water into the mixture and bring it to a gentle boil. This is
to ensure that the cream does not split when added. Now, tip in the cream and
stir well. Finally, add the fried paneer pieces, add salt and let it simmer for
2 minutes before taking it off the gas. Garnish it with your choice of greens. I
had some fresh spring onions. Serve alongside hot rotis or as I did, with pulao.

I am
sure your eyes would have popped out when you ran through the list of
ingredients and came across the point about the quantity of fresh cream. Yes,
it is definitely a rich dish, but trust me, it does not seem like that at all! The
tomato cuts across the richness of the cream quite well and lends a nice
tanginess.

As regards
the verdict, the first compliment came surprisingly from the husband. I did not
know whether he was pulling my leg or just being nice, so as not to hurt my
feelings. But I saw him taking generous second helpings and that put my mind to
rest. This recipe is for keeps. Thanks so much J!

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